I have a thing for Natural History Museums - no matter how small, how old, or how new, there is also something inspiring to see. When I realized that Lancaster has one of their own, I decided we should pop in for a quick look. From the website, the museum looks very modern, but the site does not hint at the treasure trove to be found in the basement next to the bathrooms.
The Antique Cabinet Museum is literally a museum within a museum. I attempted to research the history of the antique cabinets, but came up with nothing - I think it's safe to say that these are the collections from the North Museum before they made a major update into the modern world. They couldn't throw all those incredible pieces away, but didn't have room in the museum for them any longer. The solution? Stick them in a basement and slap a a label on it, and the Antique Cabinet Museum was born. It is an absolute gem. I wish all museums put their historic specimens on display in the old style like this.

By far, the best part of the Cabinet Museum was the Dichotomous Cabinet - cabinets with pull-out drawers, each one representing a different category of specimens. Our favorite drawer was the Polycephaly Animals (having more than one head) - just look at that disembodied two-headed calf head! This is antique natural history at its best, folks.